The First week of January 1945, the American liberation army was at the
Lingayen Gulf. For several days, the American bombarded the central coastal towns with
cannon shells for their warships. Their aim was to clear the area of Japanese troops
before they would land.

Dagupan suffered a heavy damage from this shelling operation. Among the most precious
building destroyed was the original elementary school on the bank of the river on what is
now Magsaysay park.

After the area was cleared of Japanese, the American advance troop consisting of the
sixth army under the command of General Walter Krueger landed simultaneously over a wide
area extending from Lingayen, Binmaley, Dagupan up to San Fabian.

2. MACARTHUR LANDS IN BONUAN

Here is an eyewitness account of the MacArthur landing in Bonuan, given
by Atty. Iluminado C. Meneses, Secretary to Mayor Cipriano M. Manaois. He grew up in
Bonuan.

"It was about 9:00 O'clock in the morning of January 9, l945 when the advance
troops under General Krueger landed. I was about 14 years old at the time and my family
was in Bonuan. I was then first year in high school.

After the advance troops landed, they mounted an anti-air craft on a hill near the old
cemetery in Bonuan, in the vicinity of what is now the Dagupan Golf Club links. As soon as
the troops sett1ed in the beach area, we, the people of Bonuan started to befriend them.
Two men of the anti-air craft unit became my friends. They were Pvt. Julio Funaro, and one
Sgt. Kelth. T

The coconut grooves along the shoreline in Bonuan struck them with the similarity of
the place to New Guinea. Because of this similarity, they held the initial impression that
the people of the area must be like the people of New Guinea. They were Surprised to find
out that we spoke English. In his curiosity, Sgt. Keith asked me: "Where did you
learn to speak English?" "Oh, I learned it in school." I replied. "You
have a school here?" he pursued his inquiry. "Yeah," I told him, with
pride. ''How far is your school from here?" "Its over there about a few
kilometers away," I said, pointing towards the direction of the Gregorio del Pilar
school.

"Kilometer? Hi, how long is a kilometer?" he asked. That struck me as
strange. The American did not know how long a kilometer is.

It was about two, Or three days, later when MacArthur actually landed in Bonuan. About
11:00 o'clock in the morning, I was at the hill with my friends who were manning the
anti-air craft unit. There was a sense of anticipation among the Americans all over the
place. They were all looking towards the sea, their eyes focused towards a group of
soldiers wading towards the shore. I followed their gaze and I saw General MacArthur
wading towards the shore. You can't miss him.. His figure was so striking with his cap,
Rayban (sunglasses) and corncob pipe.

"There he is," Pvt. Funaro exclaimed. He was so excited. In the spirit of
levity, Sgt. Keith responded: "That son-of-a-bitch, He could get ashore riding a
'duck,' but he prefers to wade, with all those photographers around. He is a big
show-off."

MacArthur's landing- spot was about 100 meters away from where I stood.

Atty. Meneses was a grandson of Don Macario Meneses, the hero of the Katipunan
revolution who did the liaison work between General Romeo Manalang of Zambales and
"General Francisco Macabulos of Central Luzon. He graduated law as cum laude from the
then Dagupan Colleges (now University of Pangasinan) and was for sometime provincial
supervisor of the Commission on Elections. He is a director of the blue Beach Lions Club.

3. MACARTHUR IN DAGUPAN

As soon as General Macarthur landed in Bonuan, he proceeded to the town.
He appropriated the Home Economics building of the West Central School as his
headquarters.

Shortly thereafter, the Philippine Civil Affairs Unit (PCAU) started to organize the
civil government of the province. Dagupan continued to be the capital town of Pangasinan
until about June, 1945.

As a matter of formality the Filipino leaders who held government positions during the
Japanese occupation were placed under arrest to account for their activities during the
wartime.

Among the numerous Pangasinan leaders arrested were Secretary B1as F Rayos and Mayor
Amado LI. Ayson Mayor Ayson was cleared soon enough, and for a while, he was made to
continue as mayor under the PCUA.

It took sometime for Secretary Rayos to be cleared. He was brought to Muntinlupa, One
of those who worked for his clearance was the famous Guerrilla leader, Ferdinand Marcos,
who one time slept in the Rayos house in Pantal his sojourn in Pangasinan during the war.

4. SCHOOL ROOM

As normal times returned in Pangasinan, Sofronio Quioson was appointed
Governor. In Dagupan Angel Fernandez was returned to his post as the town executive.

Immediately, the schools opened their doors to resume their operations. Every where
there were countless students who could not be accommodated for lack of facilities. The
Pangasinan Provincial High School in Lingayen was decentralized. Dagupan branch of the
provincial high school was opened.

The Klar building in front of the plaza (now the Dagupan Polyclinic Hospital) was
utilized as a schoolhouse. An annex building, consisting of temporary materials, was put
up in elementary school compound facing Torres Bugallon Avenue west, which is now the site
of the Teachers Memorial Building.

The man responsible in organizing the high school in Dagupan, and serving as its first
principal was Emilio Severino. Responding to the need of the hour, Mayor Fernandez made
representation to the Americans occupation force-and requested for Quonset huts. His
request was granted.

Mayor Fernandez put up the Quonset huts in Tapuac. On the second year of its
operations, the High School was moved to Tapuac end occupied the Quonset huts put up by
Mayor. By then, Nemesio Caralde was the new principal.

From that time on, three other principals have taken turns to administer the school:
Eduardo Q. Edralin (1953-1954); Isabel Alisangco (1954-1967) and Luz Alfante (1967 up to
the present).

5. ORIENT COLLEGES

Responding to the school boom, veteran educator Andres Jacinto and his
wife Lourdes Villamil Jacinto went around to organize a corporation to put up a school.
With five other men who joined them, they put up the Orient Colleges on Rivera Street.

More schools were established later. This established the position of Dagupan as the
new educational center of Pangasinan.

In 1972, Orient Colleges began to have a young Dagupeno for its new president. His name
was Reynaldo Quinto Lambino. Born February 19 1933 in Lucao, Lambino was barely 39 years
old when he assumed the presidency of the college. An accountant by profession, he
undertook a daring move in 1968 when he opened the Philippine Review Center. This is a new
review school for would be accountants preparing for the board examinations. The center
turned out to be a success, and it has grown steadily stronger with the years.

Lambino graduated with a degree in commerce, major in accounting and auditing and
taught in the following review center: Manila review Center; Trinity Review center in
Quezon City; Zamboanga Review Center, and Davao Review Center. He is married to the former
Lucerlita Paragas, a practicing Certified Public Accountant.

6. LEE SIN

With the return of normal times after three troubled years of Japanese
occupation the climate for business and economic growth in Dagupan became more promising.

Sometime in 1946, Lee Sin, an amoy-born Chinese businessman arrived in Manila when he
was eight years old. Born in China in 1922, He was 24 when he arrived in Dagupan.

He organized the Carried Lumber Company together with two brothers: Ben Lim Choy and
Lim Chat. They put up its lumberyard at the foot of Quintos Bridge, where the Teczon
Furniture Store now stands.

In 1960, another company group of traders put up the Cosmic Lumber Company. These were
Domingo Chua Cham, Maria Gunday, Deogracias Fernandez and Inocencia Collado.

Lee Sin broke off with his partners at Carried Lumber in 1965. He bought the Cosmic
Lumber Company and renamed it the Great Cosmic Lumber Company, the indisputable lumberyard
king of Dagupan. Today, Lee Sin has become the indisputable lumberyard king of Dagupan. He
became a Filipino citizen in 1961.

7. MACARTHUR AND NORIEGA

We close this chapter with an interesting incident in Dagupan about
General Douglas MacArthur in 1945.

As soon as the American general was settled in his headquarters at the home economics
building of the west central elementary school compound he realized that one tail of his
star insignia was broken. He was so agitated about it. He wanted it restored to perfect
condition, and he could not entrust it just to anyone among his thousands of soldiers. He
personally went out and looked for a goldsmith who could do the job for him.

Accompanied by his aide de camp, he went by foot downtown and inquired for a good
goldsmith who could restore his broken star insignia into perfect condition.

Gregorio S. Noriega was the man of the hour for him. He entered the Noriega Goldsmith
shop and watched Noriega perform the task. When Noriega returned the insignia to the
American general, he was completely satisfied with the craftsmanship. He beamed with joy
and thanked Noriega profusely for it.

As he came out of the Noriega shop, he had his picture taken on the street along Torres
Bugallon Avenue, with the Noriega goldsmith shop as the background. That historic picture
has traveled far and wide. It has become Dagupan's immortal picture of MacArthur's stay in
their midst.

Noriega was a native of Meycawayan, Bulacan. He migrated to Dagupan in 1933. He was the
first goldsmith to establish a nickel and chromium plating shop in the entire northern
Luzon area. Noriega has six children; Gregorio, Jr., Jose, Carlos, Zenaida, Estrellita and
Clarita.

After his death, Zenaida now a physician, continued to manage the business he left
behind. Zenaida is married to City Councilor Pedro T. Torio, Jr